Into the Night
by TemplarArchon
Summary: [Chapter Four] Jin, Asuka, and Ling have a strange dream together ? that tells them everything they ever needed to know about who Ghost is, why he needed to find the three, and what exactly he needs them to do...
1. The Calling

**Author's Notes: This is my first Tekken story. I have only just recently become immersed in the Tekken universe with the purchase of Tekken 5. I hope you enjoy this story. Please read and review, if you wish. I'm not too well versed in the details of Tekken lore, so if there are any glaring mistakes, please, feel free to correct me.

* * *

**

_Into the Night_

_Chapter One: The Calling

* * *

_

_Ling Xiaoyu. _

_Asuka Kazama._

_Jin Kazama. _

_Three gifted individuals bound together by fate._

_Already, the darkness is growing. _

_It is only a matter of time before it destroys everything. _

_Now, it's up to them._

_They are coming…

* * *

_

"Rrrrrrrrring!"

"Ugh…"

Jin groaned, before glancing at the clock on his bedside table.

_2:48 in the morning…who'd call now?_

Jin picked up the receiver and held it to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Good morning, Jin Kazama."

"Huh? Who is this?"

"You don't know me. But I know you."

"Is this some sort of prank?"

"Not at all, Jin. I have called to warn you."

"Warn me of what?"

"Meet me at the intersection of 5th and Main. We can talk there."

"Hold on, now. Who is this?"

"Like I said, you don't know me. But you must leave, now."

"Why's that?"

"You are in danger, Jin Kazama. You must leave. They are coming."

"What? Who's coming? Hello?"

The line went dead. Jin got out of bed, and put on his pants with the flames on them. Throwing on his flame hoodie, he stood and looked around. Everything seemed okay. His small apartment was pretty much undisturbed. Putting on his shoes, he crossed over to the large balcony that overlooked the street, stepping onto it and closing the sliding glass door behind him. The air was cool, and the night was seemingly peaceful. Yet, all of a sudden, Jin's senses perked up. Something wasn't right…

BAM! Something huge smacked into Jin and tackled him to the ground, crashing through the sliding glass door, shattering it. Jin grimaced as the shards of the glass window punctured the skin of his back, but he couldn't focus on that now. He turned his attention to whatever smacked into him in the first place.

Something had Jin in a death grip, but Jin was too strong to give in so easily. He hooked his legs up around the figure's torso and rolled over, driving his fist into the figure's head. He was surprised at how the figure's metallic flesh gave way, his fist crushing the delicate mechanisms inside the machine. Jin took a moment to examine the dead JACK, before getting up just as two more came barreling in through his shattered window. Jin was prepared, however, and sent his leg up into one of the JACKs' sides, denting the metal, before sending his fist crashing through its chestplate, sending it flying back into the other one. Stunned momentarily, the JACK pushed off its fallen comrade before falling victim to one of Jin's flying kicks. Needless to say, the JACK went flying, shattered circuitry and bits of metal being scattered all over the place.

Jin ran up to the balcony just in time to meet three more. He effortlessly kicked all three off the balcony with one sweeping motion, and they plummeted down the 14 stories to their doom. Jin sprinted down the fire escape for all 14 stories, fighting off JACKs along the way. When he made it to the second floor fire escape, he slid down the ladder and landed gracefully on the ground, before taking off towards 5th and Main, pursued by a squadron of JACKs the entire way. He arrived at the intersection to meet a strange-looking man in white robes, carrying a pair of Uzis. Whirling to point in Jin's direction, he spoke two simple words.

"Get down."

Jin ducked and rolled into a crouching position by the man's feet as the man lit up the street with machine gun fire. The blistering barrage of bullets tore through the squadron of JACKs with ease, and when the hail of bullets finally ended, silence returned to the streets. A pile of mutilated machinery cluttered the street, and that was the end of the chase…for now. The man clicked out the two empty clips and replaced them with new ones, before holstering the two guns and turning towards Jin.

"Jin Kazama. It is an honor to finally meet you."

Jin, still panting from the encounter, stood and caught his breath. He studied the man's simple, flowing white robes, before speaking.

"Thanks for saving me, pal, but forgive me if I have questions that need answering."

The man nodded, his face concealed by his white hood, before he replied.

"Oh, no. Forgive me for making you wait before getting your answers. Now, we must make haste."

"What for?"

The man replied, in a tone deathly quiet.

"Your friend, Ling Xiaoyu, is in danger."

Jin was quiet for a moment. He surveyed first the pile of scrap metal that used to be JACKs, then the man who he has known for all of ten minutes. He was practically a stranger, after all. But then again…he did offer to help. And, somehow, he knew Ling was in danger. Jin could sense it as well. Something was…off. Jin knew it.

The man waited patiently for Jin's reply. Jin continued to think about trusting the man whom he'd met just ten minutes earlier.

But then, Jin realized something.

Ling was in danger.

This man could help.

That's all that mattered.

Something told Jin that he could trust this man. And that was good enough for him.

Jin looked up at the man, before turning to face in the direction of Ling's house.

"Let's go."

* * *

**Author's Note: And there you have it. I hope you enjoyed this little story. Believe me, there'll be much more to come. Hopefully I won't keep you waiting for too long. You can review if you wish. Thanks for reading!**


	2. The Gathering

**Author's Note: Hello, everyone! Thanks for reading, and thanks for the handful of reviews. Here's to many more chapters to come! I hope you enjoy this one. Please read and review!

* * *

**

_Into the Night_

_Chapter Two: The Gathering

* * *

_

_Jin Kazama. _

_Strength and determination beyond compare. _

_It was an honor to have finally met him. _

_Yet, I was ashamed at having to bear bad news. _

_His friend, Ling Xiaoyu, was in terrible danger. _

_With little hesitation, he went to her aid. _

_I was to accompany him. _

_Yet little did either of them know of the nightmare about to unfold…

* * *

_

Jin and the man he met earlier ran quickly through the darkened city streets, the streetlamps casting eerie white glows upon the ground in wide circles. Both men had their breaths coming out in short huffs by the time they reached the house of Ling Xiaoyu. When they finally got there, Jin noticed nothing out of the ordinary. As they stepped forward towards the porch, Jin paused, and turned to the man in white.

"By the way, I never got your name."

The man stopped, his long white robe billowing about him.

"My name is unimportant."

"Oh, come on. You must have a name."

The man remained silent for some time, before responding.

"I have no real name. You may call me by my alias, Ghost."

"Ghost, huh?"

Jin shrugged.

"Sounds good to me, Ghost."

Jin looked around, his senses somewhat heightened by the night.

"Nothing seems out of place. I thought Ling was in danger."

Ghost replied, his tone grim.

"She is. She must come with us now is she is to live."

Jin was startled by the seriousness of his tone, and entered the house without question. He went up the stairs and went over to Xiaoyu's bedroom, which, oddly enough for this time of night, seemed to be blasting with music. Jin gently pushed open the door, to find Ling and Asuka lying on the floor, reading magazines in the dim light of a lamp in the corner. The stereo that sat atop Ling's dresser was blasting loud rock music that Jin found rather annoying. But now wasn't the time for that. Jin tried to make himself heard over the overly loud music.

"Ling! Asuka!"

Ling looked up, and smiled, getting up and happily bouncing over to Jin, giving him one of her characteristic hugs. Asuka looked up and smiled, before getting up as well. Once Ling had released Jin from her hug, she spoke, excitement clear in her voice.

"Hey, Jin! What are you doing here at, like, three in the morning?"

Jin quickly took her wrist and led her out of the room, much to Asuka's surprise. Asuka yelled at him impatiently.

"Hey! What about me?"

"There's no time to explain. We just need to get out of here, now."

This took Asuka by surprise. Worried about the concern in Jin's voice, she followed Jin and Ling outside, where they met Ghost. Jin spoke.

"I have Ling here, and her friend Asuka, too."

Ghost nodded.

"Good. We must leave at once."

Ling spoke up, her voice quiet.

"Wait a minute. Where are we going?"

Ghost spoke, his eyes hidden by his hood.

"As I'm sure Jin told you, there is no time to explain. We can exchange pleasantries later."

Asuka piped up angrily.

"Hold on a minute, mister. You expect to just waltz over here to my best friend's house and whisk her away without her even knowing where she's going, and you're just going to leave me here?"

Ghost sighed exasperatedly, before speaking with a tinge of impatience in his voice.

"You don't understand. I can explain everything once we get to a safe place, but for now, we need to get-"

BOOOM! A huge explosion engulfed Xiaoyu's house, and the resulting shockwave threw the group of four back into the front yard of the house across the street. Xiaoyu gasped, watching the flames engulf what was left of her home, tears welling up in her eyes as she turned to Ghost, blinking back tears.

"What's going on? Why….Who…?"

Ghost groaned, before standing on legs still shaky from the shockwave.

"Like I said, there is no time to explain. You three are still in danger. We must leave, before…"

Ghost perked up as his heightened sense of hearing picked up the sound of mechanized marching coming from either end of the street. He turned, drawing each of his guns from the holsters slung across his hips. He made his way to the center of the street, and gulped, drawing his attention to the enormous crowd of JACKs that made their way towards them from either end of the street.

"This is bad…very, very bad…"

Battalions of JACKs approached from all directions, marching in the street, or navigating through the lawns of neighboring houses. From one of the JACK battalions, someone stepped forth, apparently their leader. It was a thin, almost skeletal woman, whose entire body was wrapped in bandages, including one around her eyes. Over these bandages she wore long red pants and a flowing red jacket, topped off with a bright red scarecrow hat. She carried two long, curved knives. Stepping forward, she bowed, before speaking.

"So we meet again…Ghost."

Ghost growled softly, his grip on his guns tightening.

"Yes, so we have…Scarlette."

Jin, Asuka, and Ling backed up against Ghost, assuming fighting stances and forming a small circle. Ghost gestured towards Ling's still-burning house, and spoke.

"Was this really necessary, Scarlette?"

The woman smiled, laughing maliciously.

"Oh, yes it was. You've caused so much trouble for my master. So much trouble. Not anymore, though. Did you honestly think you could save them? My master knows what they are capable of. That's precisely why they must die...right here, right now. It's been a pleasure knowing you…"

The woman made a sweeping gesture with her arm, and the JACK hordes targeted the group of four.

"Attack!"

* * *

**Author's Note: Well, that's all for today. How's that for a cliffhanger? I won't keep you all waiting too long. Once I get a couple more reviews, then I'll put up the next chapter. Until then, you'll just have to wait. I hope you enjoyed reading! Drop a review if you like.**


	3. The Confrontation

**Author's Note: Here we are once more, with the latest installment of Into the Night. I hope you all enjoy. Drop me a review if you like.

* * *

**

_Into The Night_

_Chapter Three: The Confrontation

* * *

_

_Ling Xiaoyu and Asuka Kazama._

_Nearly inseperable childhood friends. _

_The targets of an attack by a force known only to me._

_Through my ignorance, I placed them in danger. _

_Now, it's up to me to get them out of it.

* * *

_

"Attack!"

The JACK hordes surged forward towards the group of four. Ghost nailed a handful of JACKs before a single powerful swipe sent his guns flying out of his hands. Ducking beneath the powerful mechanized arm, he sent his right elbow and then his left fist crashing into the JACK's circuitry, sending him flying back into another, smashing it. He then ducked below another swing and crushed a JACK's chestplate with an uppercut, stepping to the side as the JACK fell and several more stepped forward to take its place. Ghost drew the short, thin sword that was sheathed at his waist and whirled through the JACKs, scything through them with fluid, killing strokes. This went on for several minutes, with JACKs falling in droves, until Ghost let down his guard for one fatal second, letting a JACK smash its fist into his stomach, knocking the wind out of him. The JACK then lifted him up and threw him down into the pavement. Ghost groaned painfully and struggled to get up, but a JACK stomped on his back, the heavy mechanized leg driving him into the pavement. With a soft groan, he went limp.

Jin was busy trying to hold his own with a trio of JACKs, kicking one deftly in the side before giving it a roundhouse kick to the head, knocking it back. The two other JACKs grabbed his arms and held him down while another punched him repeatedly in the face. Jin jumped up and kicked the JACK in front of him back, before slamming the two holding him into each other. As the two JACKs sunk to the ground, beaten, Jin whirled around with a swift kick to the third's head, effectively decapitating it. Gathering his resolve, he fought on.

Meanwhile, Ling and Asuka were surrounded by the small army of JACKs. Using their fluid grace and speed to their advantage, they dispatched several of the JACKs before they were both caught off guard. Two JACKs each held them down, and they squirmed in their grasp. Scarlette held her knife near Ling's throat, tipping up her chin.

"Not so tough now, are we, darling?"

Asuka yelled at the woman, still struggling to break free of the JACKs' grasp.

"Hey! Don't you talk to my friend like that!"

Scarlette smiled, laughing quietly before she turned to Asuka.

"Or what? What will you do?"

Suddenly, Jin's voice cut through the air.

"Let them go."

Scarlette smirked, gesturing to the remaining JACK forces and turning towards Jin.

"So it's you, Jin Kazama. You're the one Ghost has been looking for all this time. I can't believe that fool honestly thinks he would be able to save you. He thought he would be able to finally tell you the truth, why my master's been hunting you down for so long. But I don't suppose it matters now, does it?"

Jin paused, glaring at the woman.

"I don't care about that shit. I don't care about you, or why your 'master' has been looking for me. It doesn't matter to me. I'm only here for my friends. Now let them go."

Scarlette smirked.

"Or what?"

Jin growled.

"…This."

Jin's eyes burned with the devil's flames as the devil gene took over, the symbol inscribing itself on his chest, raven-black wings sprouting from his back and horns growing out of his head as he roared, spreading his wings and letting the sheer magnitude of his power send the rest of the JACKs flying back, obliterated. Ghost groaned and got up, watching Devil Jin's confrontation with Scarlette. Ling and Asuka could only watch, speechless, as Jin's power reached its peak. Devil Jin surged forward, shrouded in a mass of dark energy. Scarlette smirked, floating backwards, dodging each of Devil Jin's attacks and countering with her own, quick jabs with her knives that left bloody marks on his arms and torso. With an evil cackle, Scarlette held her knives together, charging in them the power of demonic flame. As Devil Jin charged towards her, she unleashed the flames upon him, consuming him in the black flames of hate. Roaring angrily, he flailed about, before the flames died out, and he fell to the ground, subdued. Scarlette cackled gleefully as she stepped onto the ground, walking towards the fallen Jin.

"Is that all, Jin? Is that all you can muster? Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Ghost had so much faith in you. He thought you three were the ones who could save us all from the darkness. But he was wrong. The darkness is already here. It's only a matter of time before it consumes everyone and everything. This world belongs to my Master now…but first…"

Scarlette turned to the exhausted Ling and Asuka, who were sitting on the ground, exhausted from the encounter.

"…I think I'll have some fun."

Sheathing one of her knives, Scarlette picked Asuka up by the throat. She struggled weakly, but she was too exhausted to put up much of a fight.

"How shall I kill you, hmmm? Should I slit your throat and let you choke on your own blood? Or shall I take my time, and mutilate your pathetic soul?"

Scarlette threw Asuka down onto the pavement before she could start choking, and she could only watch helplessly while Ling was picked up and held by the throat as well. Scarlette cackled evilly as she choked the life out of Ling, throwing her onto the ground when she was finished. Asuka gasped as she saw Ling's limp form thrown to the ground, but her fatigue was too much. She couldn't fight anymore. Scarlette whirled around to look down at her, and she smirked.

"You're next."

Out of nowhere, a voice rang out.

"I don't think so."

In a flash, Ghost was beside Scarlette, his sword drawn. Scarlette gasped as she felt the blood slowly trickle down her back. Falling to her knees, she cried out with all her might.

"It's over! Kill them! Kill them all!"

Ghost swiftly lopped off her head, but it was too late. Just as her blood began to stain the ground, he could hear the other JACK battalions moving into position around them. Asuka weakly looked up at Ghost, who was just as fatigued as she was.

"It's over, man. What do we do now?"

Ghost looked down at Asuka, offering her a weak smile.

"Don't give up just yet, Asuka. Hope yet remains. But for now, just sleep. I'll handle this."

Asuka knew it didn't make sense, but her body was too weak to respond. Sleep certainly did sound good. Asuka struggled to stay awake while Ghost closed his eyes, and looked up, a single ray of light shining down upon him from the heavens.

"_Light of Ancients, come unto me."_

Just as Ghost was consumed by a column of golden light, Asuka drifted off into a deep sleep. The last thing she would remember from that night would be the sound of a beautiful, angelic melody and the welcoming sight of white-feathered wings.

* * *

**Author's Note: And that's that.I hope you enjoyed this one. Drop me a review if you like. The next chapter might take a bit longer for me to write, but rest assured, you'll see it soon. Thanks for reading!**


	4. The Angel

**Author's Note: And here we are once again with the next installment of Into the Night. Chapter Four – The Angel is a very vital chapter to the story, as it explains a lot about why Ghost tried to find the trio, who else is hunting them down, and who exactly Ghost is. I hope you like. Enjoy!

* * *

**

_Into The Night_

_Chapter Four: The Angel

* * *

_

_With Scarlette's death came the sound of an approaching army. _

_Things were looking bleak. I couldn't stand against the army alone. _

_My strength had nearly left me. I was running out of time…_

…_and then it took over. _

_When I awoke, I awoke to the remains of a devastated city. _

_The army, or what was left of it, lay in burning mounds on the streets. _

_I knew that it was She who did it. _

_The power that's lived in me for so many years…_

…_the power to create, to change, and to destroy…_

…_the power of the Angel gene.

* * *

_

"_Asuka..."_

_...hmm?_

"_Asuka..."_

_...who's calling me?_

"_Wake up, Asuka."_

After what seemed like days of sleep, Asuka heard someone's voice calling to her. Her limbs were numb, and her eyelids were heavy, but she awoke, nonetheless. What greeted her was an odd sight. She seemed to be dressed in a plain white robe that fell to her feet. She stood, and looked around. She was in what looked like a white void. She was standing on nothing. She was breathing nothing. All around her was emptiness, just white as far as you could see. Draped over her head was a clear veil that shimmered slightly as it fell across her hair. After looking around for a bit, she heard a soft humming, and two figures appeared beside her. They, too, were dressed in plain white robes, and veils fell across their faces. As they appeared, they looked around as well, bewildered. One of the figures, a young woman, met her eyes.

"…Asuka?"

Asuka recognized her voice as soon as she heard it.

"Ling?"

Ling nodded, and Asuka turned to the other figure, a man.

"Jin?"

He nodded as well, before asking the obvious question.

"Where are we?"

A voice came out of nowhere to answer him.

"_I believe I can answer that for you."_

A gray mist seeped into the void, and materialized into a figure wearing a similar white robe, but with golden trim. The figure was hooded, but long white hair fell out of the hood and onto the figure's chest. Two white-feathered wings were folded neatly behind his shoulders. The figure stepped forward, speaking in a strange voice that sounded like a mix of Ghost's and that of a woman's.

"_Welcome to my domain."_

Asuka spoke up.

"Ghost? Is that you?"

The figure laughed quietly, before replying.

"_Not quite. You see, I am not the one you call Ghost. I am the one who resides within him. My name is Aura."_

There was an uneasy silence for the next few minutes as the three thought about what "residing within him" meant. Aura took off his/her/it's hood and the group saw that it was Ghost's face, but with longer, white hair and a white blindfold over his eyes.

"_You need not be afraid. I have no intention of harming any of you. But, as your bodies are rather indisposed at the moment, I took the opportunity to speak to you three in your minds while your bodies are being mended. Think of it as a shared dream, if you will."_

There was yet another uneasy silence as the three thought over what was being said. Before anyone could say anything, Aura continued.

"_You will have many questions. Hopefully I will be able to answer some of them."_

Jin was first.

"Who are you?"

"_I am the manifestation of the Angel gene that resides in Ghost's body. Every once and a while he calls on me for help, and I take control of his body, unlocking his other side. He gets white wings, his eyes glow, and he is imbued with mastery over light and power unimaginable. That is how you three got out of that last situation. Now, you three are lying asleep in Ghost's underground hideout, while Ghost is busily trying to bring you three back to health. While he's working on you three, I decided to talk to your minds and answer the many questions you undoubtedly have."_

Asuka spoke up next.

"Who was that woman who attacked us? And who was she working for?"

"_That would be easier to answer if I start from the beginning. In the beginning, there was the Mother. The Mother bore the five Ancients, gods and goddesses of extraordinary power. Humanity was born, and the Ancients were given the task of looking after them. The five Ancients went to war with the Darkness, the embodiment of all evil and His followers. After several millennia of war, the Ancients sealed away the Darkness into Oblivion, and his followers that were left on Earth were scattered, and went into hiding."_

Asuka gestured with her hands, and Aura paused.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on a second. This is all very hard to believe. But, let's just say you're telling the truth. Where do we come in?"

"_The Ancients wrote that if the followers of the Darkness were ever to release him again, then the world would be engulfed in another millennia-long war. This cannot be allowed to happen. So, the Ancients produced the Angel gene and implanted it in a certain bloodline of humanity. The Angel gene contains all the power and knowledge of the Ancients. So, if the Darkness were ever to rise again, the power of the Ancients could be called back upon to seal away this menace once more."_

Ling cut in, stopping Aura short.

"Let me try to get this straight. Ghost is from the bloodline that inherited the Angel gene. I get that part. So why us? Why did he look for us, out of all people?"

"_The Ancients knew that the heir of the Angel gene could not fight the Darkness alone. He would need three individuals to aid him in his task. These three individuals would need three specific traits: One to be pure of heart, the other pure of mind, and the last, pure of soul. You are those three, even if you cannot see it."_

Jin spoke this time, looking up at Aura.

"I don't understand. What makes us so special?"

Aura smiled, and turned to Asuka.

"_You, Asuka Kazama, inherited a special ability from your aunt, Jun Kazama. Your mere touch is able to reverse the effects of the Devil gene. Ghost found out about your special ability, and knew that it set you apart from your peers. He saw in you that you were pure of heart."_

Aura then turned to Ling.

"_You, Ling Xiaoyu, have shown great devotion to those you love. In everything you do, your motivation is simple: If I do this, then someone I love might be happy. Or, if I don't do this, then someone I love might be sad. This caring nature brought you to Ghost's attention and he saw that you were pure of mind."_

Jin was silent for a moment, his fist clenched. He looked up, and spoke.

"That leaves me, then. I have in me a Devil. How can that possibly make me pure of soul?"

Aura laughed quietly, smiling broadly and turning to Jin.

"_On the contrary, Jin. You have fought the Devil within you. You have struggled against its grasp. This constant struggle has made you strong. Ghost was able to see this. Only one like you would be able to stand against the Devil gene for so long and yet live. He saw that you were pure of soul. Now, however, my time is up. It is time for you three to awaken. Ghost will explain everything else you need to know shortly. The time has come for you three to return to the real world, and become who you were born to be."_

With a smile and a flash of light, she was gone.

* * *

**Author's Note: I hope you didn't think that was too complicated. Anyway, thanks for reading. Drop a review if you like. The next chapter will be coming soon.**


End file.
